Codes and conventions of indie music videos

Codes and conventions of indie music videos

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  Codes and conventions of indiemusic videos By Lucy Latchman
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  Live performance – Away to focus on the main artist – Live performance is very common in the indie rock genre. This is because it allows for the artists to mimic what they love to do most which is perform. – Nowadays a modern style twist is often put on this with a narrative included in- between to break up the music video and give it a story for the reader. Also there is more room to play around with the video if a narrative is included so many artists tend to use this technique a lot. It also helps them to compete with other artists of different genres who do narrative videos that are heavily based around a story to make it more memorable. – Live performance also assists in promoting the artists as it highlights their talent to perform.
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  Narrative – Narrative isvery popular amongst a lot of genres as it leaves room for the imagination. There are many different variations of this used and there tends to be a lot of room allowed for creativity which can leave a video very memorable to the audience. – Allows for the audience to relate to the storyline – This is a great way of making a music video stand out from the crowd and making it popular. This is because there are many variations so you can make it as different and wacky as you like. – Narrative videos also hold peoples attention better in comparison to a live performance as what you are seeing is constantly changing and keeps people entertained at all times. Even people who aren’t necessarily a fan of the artist may still enjoy the video so this method often helps people gain success and status.
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  Mise en scene –Mise en scene now plays a large role in a lot of music videos and especially the indie rock genre. This is because indie artists often have a retro look and this can be created through the sets they use, props and also their own appearance themselves. – Props can change the look of a video completely for example in Lana Del Rey’s – National Anthem we can see posing around a glamorous and expensive looking house. This highlights that the character she is playing is wealthy and most likely well respected. – Ensure the video look realistic – Costumes; give people their identity and set them apart from the rest. A good example is Lady Gaga whose know for her elaborate choice in clothing. In the video music video ‘Telephone’ we know she wear a hat with a build in phone and this reinforces the message that’s in her video. As this was a memorable look, people now recall the video (due to her appearance) – Makes it easy to give people different identities which therefore allows for a video that’s easier to follow – Makeup is another key element of mise en scene and is used in a large majority of music videos. It can give us indication as to which era the video is set in, it allows to change/alter a persons face or enhance the face (depending what look the artist is going for or the type of video they wish to shoot)
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  Setting – Indie musicvideos are known to be quite low budget (as independent music artists don’t have the financial support of a large corporation/label), the main settings of the videos tend to be shot in studios, parks, tunnels or a large natural landscape (such as the seaside or forest) etc. – This is because these are places that can be accessed easily and they can add/create an element of mystery to the video.
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  Sound – Sound isa very important aspect, especially during the live performances where the audience can directly hear the instruments being played. – If a music video adapts a narrative it might have diegetic sounds to make the scene look realistic. – Diegetic sounds tend to be much clearer and louder at the beginning before the vocals start then at the end when the vocals finish. – Sound can also overlap e.g. the vocals could still be playing but the audience would be able to hear someone crying also. – Effects could be added to the sound to fade it or increase its volume to convey emotions
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  Camera – The mosttypical camera shots used in indie genre music video would be close up shots as it introduces the star and it helps to advertise the star. Close up shots highlights the artist’s talents when they are singing and it also helps convey their passion/emotion. Crane shots are also popular when filming live performances as they allow for a large range of angles. – Long and wide shots are used as establishing shots to set the scene of the narrative in the music video.
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  Editing – Editing isa key element in the making of a music video as it can help make the final production much more interesting. – Most indie genre videos would include special effects that make the audience feel as if they are in the video. – Shots are usually cut either fast or slow to reflect the pace/beat of the music, which links in well with Andrew Goodwin’s theory that music videos more often than not, tend to include a demonstration of typical genre characteristics (it makes it a lot more comfortable to view). – Effects are usually added over the top of the video to create the typical ‘old and worn’ aesthetic. – The black and white effect tends to be very popular as gives the video a ‘classical’ and ‘sad’ appearance (this also appeals to Andrew Goodwin’s theory).